From the unusual and exciting figure-eight start to the impressive awards, the Greensboro Invitational has a unique atmosphere.

As we start to gear up for the postseason, your NCRunners staff has to practice getting deep coverage of meets, and not just spreading our resources out to a large number of meets.  That's why this week's theme is team coverage: CoachSides and JasonCreasy will be together to cover our featured meet, and I'll be working with a new volunteer on my first trip to Greenville.

Featured Meet: Greensboro Invitational (Hagan Stone Park, Pleasant Garden)

One of the oldest, largest, and most unique meets of the North Carolina cross country season, the Greensboro Invitational brings together top competition from several states and creates a very unusual atmosphere.  From the close starting times of the races, which is made possible by the separate start and finish areas, to the imported awards, this is a meet that has both history and atmosphere, and that is why it's favorite among many teams.  Now in its 30th year, the Greensboro Invitational (amusingly, it's actually held in the town of Pleasant Garden) has held it own even when going head-to-head with major national meets like Great American; when it has its own weekend, as is the case this year, it definitely becomes the focus of our state's running community.  This event has had more than its share of rain over the past few years, to the point where it was in danger of becoming a tradition, but the forecast for Saturday is clear and beautiful, and the races should be fast.  Here are some things to look for on Saturday, whether you're out at Hagan Stone or keeping up from home (or on your mobile device): 

• Word on the street is that Mount Tabor will not be running at full strength, but instead saving the top Spartans for Wendy's next weekend; not sure if this applies to both the boys and girls teams.  South View has also decided not to attend, and the combination of those two factors takes the edge off of the boys' team competition here.  Nonetheless, there are still several very good teams in the meet, and it appears that R.J. Reynolds, Chapel Hill, Green Hope, and Providence Day wil be battling fo the team title.

• If Mount Tabor does compete at full strength, not only does that boost the intensity of the boys' team race, but it also brings into play a possible preview of the battle for the 4A girls' individual title.  Kayla Montgomery (Mount Tabor) has been tremendous all season, but Sara Platek (Ragsdale) took a giant leap forward last weekend, and she has several victories on this Hagan Stone course this year.  Should Montgomery sit out, Rebekah Greengrass (Panther Creek) and Malia Ellington (Community School of Davidson) will be happy to provide the competition up front.

• Green Hope's girls are the favorites in any meet as long as they hold the top spot in the All-Classes Rankings, and this weekend is no exception.  It will be interesting to see a full-strength Reagan girls squad (they were missing two runners to a standardized test last weekend) against a strong field that also includes an improving Chapel Hill team.

• Ian Milder (Mount Tabor) would be the main attraction in the boys' race individually, but he is most likely not racing this week.  That sets up a battle between Ben Huffman (Providence Day), Collin Loy (Southern Alamance), and Grant Rodgers (Heritage).  This one could come down to early positioning and finishing strength, especially when the runners have to clear the last uphill only 200 meters from the finish.

Video Course Walk: Hagan Stone Park

(Includes links to high school course records, more)

Meet Records: Boys | Girls

(Taken from MileSplit database)

Pirate Invitational (Lake Kristi, Greenville)

This is not one of the biggest meets of the year, maybe not even the biggest meet in its local area during the fall season.  The meet is competitive, but it doesn't feature many of the top-ranked teams in the state.  So why is it such a big deal for NCRunners to have live coverage here?  It's simple: we have never covered a meet in Greenville (or its surrounding areas) before.  It's long past time for us to rectify that omission, and we'll be on-site to capture everything in photo and video.

Meet Records: Boys | Girls

Course Records: Boys | Girls

Charlotte Cross Country Invitational (McAlpine Greenway, Charlotte)

Originally only a college meet (albeit one that often attracted unattached high school runners), the organizers added an official high school race last fall, and it is expected to grow in its second year.  McAlpine should be lightning fast as usual, and that attracts teams from the great Charlotte area, especially those that will have a regional here later this season.

McAlpine Video Course Walk

(With high school course records)

Meet Records: High School Girls | High School Boys

Course Records: College Men 8K | College Women 6K

High Country CC Classic (State Farm Field, Boone)

Folks that have run on this course in the past remember it as very flat and very fast, but expansion has turned this into a fairly challenging affair with a hilly, rocky section in the middle.  A solid field of teams has signed up, and cool temperatures should promote some really strong competition.

Meet Records: Boys | Girls

Course Records: Boys | Girls

Patriot Derby Classic (Carolina Horse Park, Raeford)

Although this meet attracted the biggest crowd when there was a regional being held at the same course later in the season, it is still on the calendar for several teams that like to compete on difficult courses during the season.  The course is challenging but also very pretty, and the opportunity to start and finish on a horse-racing track (with grandstands, no doubt) adds a very interesting touch to the day.

Course Records: Boys | Girls